Proof Of Heaven: A Guru Girl Good Read

I am dismayed that I missed Barbara Walter’s “20 Most Fascinating People” special on t.v. last night. It featured, among 19 others, Ben Affleck. And you all know how much I love Ben Affleck!

Although my own fascination with Ben is great, so is my fascination with some other things in life, and this is what got the best of me last night. I’m reading this book that I cannot put down. It’s called Proof of Heaven, and it delves into some of the great existential questions of our time, like is there life after death.

I’m not usually into deep think pieces like this. I have too much on my daily “to do” list to worry about what might be on my “to do” list in the hereafter. And according to the Proof Of Heaven author, I should put conversing with a bright orb right at the top of this one. Editor’s note: At least that’s more interesting than doing laundry.

This sounds a little woo woo and wacky, right? Here’s the thing: Proof Of Heaven is a non-fiction book written by a respected neurosurgeon, a guy who studies brains and how they work for a living. His name is Eben Alexander, and he wrote the book based on his own near death experience in 2008 and what happened to him when he was technically brain dead. Alexander’s not a woo-woo guy. He’s not a religious guy. He certainly doesn’t seem to be a “15 minutes of fame” type of guy. 

The book’s a straight forward account of what happened to Alexander, and what it means to the rest of us. Here are some of the shockers:

1.     There’s a heaven.

2.    Death isn’t scary. The scary part was when Alexander was told it wasn’t his time to go yet, and he had to come back to earth. Editor’s note: I bet doing laundry topped his earthly “to do” list too.

3.    Our time on earth is the shortest, dreariest part of the equation.

4.    Lots more… some of which made my head hurt because Alexander got a little science jargon-y toward the end, and, also, it was edging towards midnight.

It’s fascinating stuff. Maybe not Barbara-Walters-quality-fascinating, but definitely worth a read and a ponder. This would also be a great gift for a family member who likes to read. Optimistic, thought provoking, great conversation fodder. It’s a triple threat, in a way that bath salts never are.(Click this amazon link to learn more about Proof Of Heaven by Eben Alexander, available for around $8.)